Does The Olympics Have Tennis?

The 2020 Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan from July 24 to August 9, 2020. Tokyo was originally scheduled to host the 1940 Summer Olympics, but they were canceled due to the outbreak of World War II.

Introduction

The Olympics have been around for over a century, and in that time, they have featured a wide variety of sports. While some sports, like track and field, swimming, and gymnastics, have been staples of the games since their inception, others have come and gone over the years. One sport that has had a bit of a rollercoaster relationship with the Olympics is tennis. So, does the Olympics have tennis? Here’s a look at the history of tennis at the Olympics.

Tennis was first introduced as an Olympic sport at the inaugural games in Athens in 1896. It proved to be quite popular, with over 100 athletes from 15 different countries competing in the tournament. However, after that first appearance, tennis would not be seen again at the Olympics for nearly 60 years. It made a comeback at the next Olympiad in Helsinki in 1952 and has been played at every games since then with the exception of Moscow in 1980 (due to a U.S.-led boycott) and Los Angeles in 1984 (when there was no room on the schedule).

One interesting thing to note is that while most Olympic sports are open to athletes of all genders, tennis has always been a bit of a men’s only club. That began to change in 1988 when women’s doubles was added to the program and finally in 2012 when mixed doubles made its debut. Thus far, no women’s singles events have been added to the Olympic tennis program.

A Brief History of Tennis at the Olympics

Although tennis was not part of the inaugural modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, it featured prominently at the second edition of the Games four years later in Paris. Since then, with the exception of the 1912 Stockholm Games, tennis has been present at every edition of the Olympic Games.

In Paris in 1900, men’s singles and doubles events were contested, as well as a mixed doubles event. There was no women’s competition at those first Games. In 1908 in London, women’s singles and doubles were added to the programme for the first time. The mixed doubles event was not contested again until 2012 in London.

Tennis was omitted from the programme for the 1916 Berlin Games because of the outbreak of World War I, but made a triumphant return to Olympic competition 20 years later in 1936 in Berlin. After another hiatus caused by World War II (1940 and 1944), tennis was back on the programme for the Olympic Games in London in 1948.

Since 1988, tennis has been an Olympic sport on a permanent basis. That year in Seoul, Korea, men’s singles and doubles competitions were held, as well as women’s singles and doubles events. The mixed doubles tournament returned to Olympic competition for the first time since 1924!

Why Was Tennis Removed from the Olympics?

Tennis was a part of the Olympic games for over a hundred years, but was removed in 1924. The reason for this is two-fold. First, the sport was mostly played by wealthy amateurs (sound familiar?) and so did not fit with the ideals of the Olympic movement, which were to promote participation by as many people as possible. Second, there were concerns that tennis would overshadow other sports at the Games.

The Future of Tennis at the Olympics

The sport of tennis has been contested at every Olympic Games since the inaugural edition in Athens in 1896, with the exception of the 1904 and 1988 editions. It has been on the programme of every Summer Olympic Games since 1912, and was an official medals sport until 1924. Since 1988, when tennis was reinstated as an official medal sport, it has been played at each Summer Olympics.

For many years, the sport of tennis was a very popular event at the Olympic Games, but its popularity waned in the latter half of the 20th century. In 1992, only 64 athletes competed in tennis at the Olympic Games in Barcelona – just 16% of the 400 athletes who competed in tennis at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF), the governing body for tennis, has been working hard to try to increase participation in tennis at the Olympic Games, and they have had some success. In 2016, there were 172 athletes competing in tennis at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro – more than double the number who competed in 1992.

The ITF is hoping that even more athletes will compete in tennis at upcoming Olympic Games. They are especially keen to increase participation among young people, as they believe that this will help to increase interest in tennis around the world and grow participation levels even further.

There is currently no guaranteed quota for how many places will be available for tennis players at future Olympic Games – this will be decided by each edition’s Organising Committee based on a number of factors, including interest from National Olympic Committees and athletes, previous results, and sporting/broadcasting considerations. However, with increasing participation levels and growing interest from National Olympic Committees, it is likely that we will see a continued increase in tennis participation at future Olympic Games.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the answer to the question “Does the Olympics have tennis?” is yes, tennis is an official sport of the Summer Olympic Games. Tennis has been a part of the Summer Olympics since it debuted as a sport at the inaugural Games in Athens in 1896.